Honmei-Choco
by Sailing On A Notebook
Summary: Mana gives Atem, her long tine best friend, Honmei-choco for Valentine's day. Modern AU. Vaseshipping One-shot.


**_Hey everyone. Yes, I know I haven't been on this website forever, there are many reasons why but I will not go into them now. And I have a ton of fanfiction to catch up on and a few messages to respond to! I hope you enjoy this one-shot, I was in the writing mood and I had started this months ago._**

 ** _I know this is a day late but my brother had to use my laptop so right now I'm using my friends. Anyways, without further ado!_**

* * *

Valentine's day. For some, a day of opportunity, for others, it reminded them that they hadn't found the right person yet. Nevertheless, a warm atmosphere filled the corridors of Domino High School as the girls fluttered around, observing the custom of giving homemade chocolate to their male friends or lovers. Or their all-time crush.

A newer custom which was giving handmade cards was also observed, allowing girls to show their love or appreciation through words and pictures. While every boy was lucky enough to receive at least one Valentine, either Giri-choco* or Honmei-choco, others received plenty, leaving them to wonder how they will return to the girls a month later on White day.

Atem stared at his desk which had piles of chocolate boxes and sparkly cards, wondering why _again_ he received so much love from his female classmates. He tried not to stick out from day one of High School, yet here he was in Junior year having far too much chocolate to know what to do with, he didn't know what he was going to do next year.

He flicked through the cards, trying to envision the girls by their name but it was proving to be difficult. He was glad that they put their class numbers down, making it easier to work out who they were.

At the front of the clustered classroom stood Mana, her fingers tightening around the box of chocolates and handmade card she had in her hand. She was being stupid, surely. Many girls attempted to give Atem Honmei-choco in an attempt to win his heart so she never understood why she chose today to confess her feelings for her long time best friend. She supposed it was easier, with the masses of gifts he got he could easily overlook Mana's keeping her feelings safe. But she didn't want that, she wanted to be with him.

The knot in her stomach tightened, making her feel nauseous. She wiped her clammy hands on her school skirt one by one and forced herself to walk further into the stuffy classroom. Her footsteps made no sound on the wooden flooring and she felt herself gulp. She eyed Atem's spiky hair, his beautiful mulberry eyes trained on the large pile in front of him.

Anzu and Kisara had pulled the other boys away in order to give Mana privacy when giving Atem the present. Mana still didn't understand why she had to do this during school time, where she felt the eyes of the entire classroom on her, she should've picked a better time.

Mana stopped in front of his desk and bit her lip. She felt her face heating up again and she tried so desperately to make it stop. It'll give it all away if he looked up now.

To Atem's oblivion, Mana took a few silent deep breaths and plastered a smile on her lips.

"Hey Atem!" She greeted in her most enthusiastic tone. He looked up and his eyes lit up when he realised it was Mana and gave her a smile.

"Hey Mana," he replied and dropped the card in his hand.

"Honmei-choco -" Mana said suddenly and then felt the urge to slap herself. _That's not how I was meant to start!_ "Uh, here you go." Mana mechanically placed the gift in front of him, glad her cheeks hadn't highlighted again. "Happy Val - "

"Oh, another one, just put it on top," Atem said nonchalantly, his baritone voice unimpressed.

Mana blinked, her fingers slipped off the box leaving it on his desk. She gulped, her chest tightening and her eyes starting to burn.

 _This is it then?_

Atem eyed the gift, it was certainly more creative than the others but he decided not to look at it just yet. It was probably just from another random girl. A lot of them tried to give them through Mana, Kisara and Anzu to hide their own embarrassment. This must be another one.

Mana dropped her gaze and started to fidget with her fingers. "Mana, you okay?" Atem asked suddenly, noticing that she seemed off all of a sudden.

It took a moment to register what he said, Mana didn't trust her voice so she just nodded.

Mana took a deep breath, trying to push away the sting of rejection for the time being. She looked up at him and plastered on a fake smile. "Anyways, I have to go see Anzu and Kisara for something… See you!" Mana chirped as enthusiastically as she could.

Atem furrowed his eyebrows together, thinking that there is definitely something wrong with her but decided to let it go. They were best friends and if she had any troubles, she almost always told him.

* * *

"It's fine honestly," Anzu reassured, with her arm around her shorter girl. "I don't need to go out with Yugi today. You're upset. We can't leave you like this."

"Trust me. I think Seto would be happier that he can get some work done than take a few hours off," Kisara consoled.

The girls didn't know about Mana's rejection until classes started after lunch and saw that Mana was being distant. She was great at faking her happiness but the girls always knew when something was up. It was now after school that they pulled her to the side in one of the restrooms and found out that she had spent the rest of lunch hidden away, trying hard not to cry.

"It's fine, it really is," Mana assured, her voice was slightly raspy. "You girls go ahead, I know how much you two were looking forward to today."

"But we can't leave you like this," Kisara stated, her voice firm.

Mana shook her head and gave them a week smile. "I'm fine. I'll be okay. I'll go home, watch some movies, eat some ice cream. It's all good."

"What I don't understand is that why didn't you say it was from you?" Anzu asked and furrowed her eyebrows together.

Mana's shoulders dropped and she leaned against the cool wall. "It wouldn't make a difference anyway! He had already made a decision to not have a girlfriend. I don't know why I bothered. Gosh, I'm so stupid," she exclaimed, feeling her emotions were starting to get to the better of her. _I need to get out of here._

Mana pulled herself away from her concerned friends and grabbed her bag from the floor. "If anyone asks, tell them I've already gone home," she murmured before walking away.

* * *

Atem looked at his pile of gifts that where on his desk, it was a nightmare bringing everything home. While most of it was appreciation chocolate from his female classmates, he realised that ever year he was receiving more and more romantic chocolate.

He picked up a handmade card and scan the contents which was a sweet poem from a girl he could just about envision in his head. He didn't understand why they liked him so much, he barely talked to any girls outside Mana, Anzu and Kisara at school.

He put the card back on the table and picked up the chocolate Anzu had given it. It was small because she knew that he received a lot that Valentine's day and didn't want to burden him when he returned the gifts, especially as she was dating his brother.

He popped that one down as well, thinking about all the girls that had approached him today and then it occurred to him, _what did I get from Mana?_

He cast his mind back to the morning when she had greeted him enthusiastically. He remembered her giving some to Joey, Tristan and Yugi but did he not get one from her?

Atem felt his heart sink in his chest. _How can I give her a return gift if she didn't give me one first?_ He shook the thought from his mind, knowing very well he could be able to give her a gift on white day, regardless of whether he received one today.

He continued to rummage through the cards until he spotted a perfectly crafted one he knew that couldn't be from anyone else but Mana. He picked it up and thought _when did she give me this?_

 _Ah shit._

He slapped his forehead, not caring if it would leave a red mark. He remembered that she gave it during lunch and he just slapped it away like it meant nothing. No wonder she seemed down for the rest of the day. _God, I'm such an idiot_.

 _But wait._ Atem remembered that when she gave it she said 'Honmei-choco'… _this isn't what I think it is, is it?_

Atem took a deep breath before opening the card, he felt himself gulp before reading her distinctive script.

 _We met in elementary school, where you were the quiet one and I was loud and obnoxious, it wasn't until I became friends with you did I realise that my soul said 'there you are, I've been looking for you' - ever since then you've been the only one in my heart. I know we're just friends but I want us to be more. Please? I love you always - Mana.'_

Without realising, Atem's mouth fell agape and his eyes bulged, air got stuck in his throat and he was sure that he might choke. _Mana actually has feelings for me?_ He covered his face with his hand and he was sure that his stomach had dropped to the floor.

The words echoed in his head, as if he could hear her speaking them. They spiralled like vultures for a couple of minutes, making him their friendship over the past few years.

When he finally came to his senses, he realised he only had one thing to do. He got of his chair and rummaged through his drawers looking for the return gift he had already gotten for Mana. He was so glad that what he got didn't need to be wrapped because he knew he had no time right now to work on presentation. He placed the gift in the bag he got with it and slipped her card inside, keeping in mind that he hadn't even had the chance to look at the chocolate she gave him and ran out of his room. He ignored the questions from his mother and grandpa, knowing he'll get an earful later but decided not to care as he left the house.

Atem couldn't feel the cool air around him because of the adrenaline pulsing through him. He raced down the streets, knowing it probably isn't a good idea because once he stopped he wouldn't be able to start again.

 _I really need to take gym class more seriously_ he thought as he tried to dodge the people milling around the streets minding their own business.

He headed straight for the park, knowing that that is where Mana would be. Even though she didn't tell him about her secret spot, they were friends for long enough for Atem to figure out. He passed the trees that were all green and looked the same as he continued his sprint, his eyes were darting around looking for a specific place.

 _God I hope she's still there_ he wondered, hoping that he'd be there in the first place. He didn't want to run all the way to her house afterwards because he knew that his legs would give way. Once he reached the small patch of grass that was circled by tall trees, he looked around maniacally and found that it was uninhabited.

"Ah shit," he swore and leaned against a tree to recover. He couldn't hear anything over his loud gasps and thudding heart but he continued to curse himself out loud. _I should have messaged or called her or something,_

He sunk to the ground, not caring if the muddy grass left marks on his clothes. He was only careful to keep the gift safe.

When his breathing softened and his heart started to calm he heard a rustle of leaves but couldn't tell what it was until he heard a voice.

"What are you doing here?"

Relief flooded through Atem as he recognised the voice _thank God._

* * *

After leaving Anzu and Kisara in the restroom at school, Mana went straight home. She tried her hardest to ignore the couples and Valentine's day shop signs but _for some reason this year it's everywhere!_

Once she got home she was greeted with a note on the fridge from her brother and guardian, Mahad, which said that he would be home late. He will be going on a date with his girlfriend, Ishizu. She screamed out in frustration and didn't care if her neighbours could hear her before trudging upstairs and throwing herself on her bed.

She couldn't do anything but feel sorry for herself and she hadn't the fact she couldn't get rid of the sick feeling in her stomach. _I just ruined my relationship with him! Why would he, Mr Popular-I-love-being-single, reciprocate my feelings?_

After a while of feeling defeated and frustrated, she got up, got a change of clothes and left the house and hoped that _a breath of fresh of air will do me good. It's a good thing I have a place no one else knows about._

Again, she ignored, and was more successfully this time, the love and happiness of those around her even though her heart hurt and her eyes wanted nothing more than to cry hysterically. She got to the park, praying that some along time with nature will give her, even a little bit, a piece of mind. She just needed to forgot about Atem for the time being. Who knows, hopefully he hasn't seen the card yet.

She pushed past the bushes as she neared her spot, causing the rustling of trees to be heard. Once she neared the middle of her haven she noticed something that wasn't supposed to be there.

"What are you doing here?" She blurted out, trying desperately to keep her voice level.

She caught the gaze of her friend, who appeared surprised yet relieved to see her, and wondered why on earth is he on the floor. _Was he waiting for me?_

"I wanted to see you," Atem answered. Slowly, he got up, glad that the burn in his legs had gone but leaned against the tree. His knees still felt weak.

Mana gulped. The nausea in her stomach was now accompanied by butterflies. She exhaled softly before speaking, hoping that she didn't sound fazed by his presence. "You could have called…" she said, but then furrowed her eyebrows. "How did you find this place?"

She _swore_ she never told him about it.

He smiled, it was the smile that always made Mana smile but this time she refrained. She knew what he came to talk about. "Mana," he started. Mana could almost feel herself sigh. She loved the way he said her name with his deep, baritone voice. "How long have we been friends?"

Mana's lips couldn't help but curve upwards. _Fair enough,_ she thought.

He moved forward, making Mana more and more nervous with each step. It was only when he was a few inches away from her did she realise that he had a bag with him.

"So, why did you want to see me?" Mana prompted with a nervous giggle at the end. She was hoping to get whatever's about to happen over and done with.

Atem didn't say anything at first, he reached into the bag instead and pulled out the card that Mana had given him earlier that day.

Even though she knew that he was going to confront her about it, the colour drained from her face and her stomach dropped.

"I didn't know you felt this way about me," he commented. He was careful with his tone as always, sometimes it amazed him how well he is at hiding his emotions.

Mana looked down and started to fidget with her hands. She closed her eyes, knowing that if she couldn't see him it would be easier to speak. "It's… it's probably better if you didn't," Mana claimed, her voice tightening. "You're not interested in dating anyway. I don't know _why_ I bothered."

Atem's shoulders dropped at Mana's tone, even though they had been friends for so long, there weren't many times when she was like this. "Mana… I'm sorry."

Vehemently, Mana shook her head in response, but still looked downwards. "It's fine. I get it. Plus, it's me who should be sorry. I just ruined our friendship." Mana tried hard to stop her voice from cracking but she could feel her throat constrict and her eyes well up. _God, I'm such an idiot._

Atem frowned. If he didn't pull such a jerk move Mana wouldn't be this upset right now. He shouldn't have taken the card and gift in his hand and looked at it properly.

Not knowing what else to do, he grabbed one of Mana's hands, which had been clenched into a fist. "Mana. Believe me when I say this, okay? I thought what you gave me was from another girl. I'm stupid. I should have looked. I know I get tons of stuff but this year this is the only thing that actually means something."

Mana shook her head again and pulled her hand from Atem's. "You don't need to say anything for my sake – "

"I was going to wait until White day but you beat me to it," he interjected, hoping that if his words didn't convince her, his gift would. Mana raised her head and forgot about the tears that were escaping her eyes. She tilted her head to the side and had her eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" She exclaimed.

Atem smiled softly and passed Mana the bag. Curiously, she peered inside and felt her jaw drop.

"Mana. I love you. I've loved you since we were kids when you were the fun one and I was shy and boring. When we did become friends, I knew that you'll be the one I'll spend the rest of my life with because you're the only one who has my heart. I don't want to be just your best friend anymore. Please?"

Mana definitely felt like she was in a dream so before she could pull the gift out of the bag, she pinched her arm and found herself routed on the spot.

 _Thank God this is reality._

She pulled out the fluffy teddy bear that was holding a red heart which had "I love you" written on it and then looked at Atem, who was finally looking at her in the way she's always wanted.

"I – uh – yes – um – I – I mean – I can't Japanese right now," she stammered, not caring that her face had gone bright red. She couldn't find it in her to get over what just happened.

Atem smiled and grabbed Mana's hand again. "Will you be my Valentine?"

Mana smiled, the tears that were streaming down her face were for a completely different reason now. "Hey, that's _my_ line."

Atem chuckled and Mana joined in with her own giggles. He pulled her closer for a hug and felt himself start to melt in her arms and all he could think about was how glad he was that he received honmei-choco from Mana on Valentine's day.

* * *

 ** _*Giri-choco - obligation chocolate (even to male friends, family members, etc)_**

 ** _*Honmei-choco - chocolate given someone you have romantic feelings for._**

 ** _I hope you enjoyed it (and that it wasn't too disappointed! (Sorry I know the ending is bad!))_**

 ** _Reviews would be nice!_**


End file.
